Every year we put together a scorecard to show how each legislator voted on the issues FHA Action took a position on during the Legislative Session. Click the link below to see how your legislator scored!

“The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20 percent traitor.” -Ronald Reagan

Resolutions passed by the Legislature have no weight of law, but simply send a message from the body. Here is one from week 9 that deserves the spotlight:

HR1006 “Recognizing the deleterious effects of gambling and video lottery.”

A RESOLUTION, Recognizing the deleterious effects of gambling and video lottery.

WHEREAS, at the time of statehood, in 1889, the framers of the Constitution of South Dakota recognized the dangers inherent in gambling and sagaciously prohibited the activity under any pretense or for whatever purpose; and

WHEREAS, approximately a century later, an insatiable desire for revenue opened the door to gambling, including a lottery that is devoted to the operation of state government and then video lottery; and

WHEREAS, more than 1,300 video lottery casinos are now situated across this state; and

WHEREAS, video lottery annually contributes between eighty-eight and one hundred ten million dollars to the coffers of this state, thereby accounting for six to seven percent of the state’s annual revenue; and

WHEREAS, video lottery is often referred to as the crack cocaine of gambling because it is recognized as the most addictive form of gambling; and

WHEREAS, South Dakota is now estimated to have between 13,000 and 26,000 pathological gamblers; and

WHEREAS, South Dakota now has the undesirable distinction of being ranked second in the nation with respect to gambling addiction; and

WHEREAS, research indicates that the annual cost to a state for each pathological gambler is in excess of fourteen thousand dollars; and

WHEREAS, crime statistics confirm significant increases in armed robbery, burglary, theft, embezzlement, and family violence, as well as suicide, since the institution of video lottery; and

WHEREAS, since the institution of video lottery, the exorbitant and ever-increasing social costs associated with this form of gambling have taken their toll both directly and indirectly on individuals, on families, on our businesses and communities, and on the health and well being of our state:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Ninety-Fourth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, that the Legislature recognizes the deleterious effects of gambling and particularly of video lottery and that the Legislature invites and encourages the Governor and representatives of various public and private sector entities to join together for the purpose of responsibly reducing and ultimately eliminating this state’s reliance on revenues that are generated through the video lottery and other forms of addictive gambling.

In case you missed them in the e-news or Facebook posts, here are the Allies Update videos we posted during the 2019 Legislative Session! Please note, we have many friends and allies at the Capitol and this is not meant to be an exclusive list!

HB1225 requires the SDHSAA to use the birth certificate of a student as the determinant of their eligibility, even if the student identifies with the opposite sex team. Why is this needed?

2 Problems with males playing on female teams:

Fairness. Generally speaking, males are taller and stronger than females, and allowing a student who is biologically male to compete against a female could pose an unfair advantage.

Exclusion. If a student who is biologically male is allowed to compete in an athletic competition that is designated for females, then in almost every situation there will be a female who would have filled that spot, but was excluded by a male from a competition that was designed for her.

What We Need-Students who believe that participation on boys and girls teams should be decided based on the student’s sex, not which gender they identify with. -Coaches who recognize the harms of allowing students to compete on athletic teams that do not match their sex. -Parents who are concerned about protecting the safety of students and passionate about maintaining opportunities for female students to compete.

While
the prospect of a new untapped revenue stream for our state is attractive, it requires
a Constitutional amendment to do so. Constitutional amendments should be
proposed with extreme scrutiny beforehand.

We
have already authorized both destination gambling and video lottery gambling
and as a result South Dakota is regrettably already dependent on the revenue
from those gambling sources. Now we are considering the further expansion of
gambling should this proposed amendment be approved.

With
each expansion of gambling comes a human price, as more will be attracted to
the lure of winning but too many of them will fall victim to their addiction.
And with each expansion of gambling, the State of South Dakota will become
further addicted to the revenue realized.

While
SJR 2 will only place the amendment on the ballot in 2020 and the expansion
will be limited to Deadwood and Native American casinos, in short order
gambling on literally thousands of events will be authorized.

There
is also the danger that we are at the beginning of changing the entire paradigm
of sports as well.

In
the early days of Major League Baseball gambling became a problem. New York
Giant’s stars Hal Chase and Heinie Zimmerman were both blacklisted for bribing
teammates to throw games. And most famously, the White Sox “fixed” the 1919
World Series. In both cases, sports betting was the cause.

Back
then, it took a couple of hundred dollars to bribe a ballplayer. These days we
would struggle to imagine what it would take to convince a ballplayer making
millions of dollars a year to throw a game. However, amateur athletes or
college athletes could be bought more cheaply.

Finally,
the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, did not speak to the legality of sports
betting. It specifically ruled that one
particular federal gambling statute, the Professional and Amateur Sports
Protection Act, violated the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
because it illegally empowered the federal government to order certain states
to take specific actions to disallow sports gambling. In fact, as noted in its
ruling, if Congress were to pass a statute to directly ban sports gambling;
such a bill would likely survive legal scrutiny.

If this SJR 2 is approved by the voters, is the state
betting that the Federal Government will not ban it?

Come for a discussion of the impact the body of Christ can have on our state and the legal foundation we have to do so! RSVP Today! February 5

The day will start at 9:00am in the Capitol Rotunda with refreshments and a brief orientation on the workings of the capitol. Everyone will then be released to find their legislators, explore the capitol building, take tours, and learn more about their state government. We will end our time at the capitol with a picture on the steps and the singing of several patriotic songs.

Lunch will be held at Community Bible Church where the FHA team will give a further briefing on what is happening at the capitol, then Paul Weber and Tonya Shellnutt will be our keynote speakers! Mr. Weber, President and CEO of the Family Policy Alliance, will examine the need for the body of Christ to have a greater impact on culture, and the opportunity we have to do so. Mrs. Shellnutt, Regional Alliance Director with Alliance Defending Freedom, will explain the Church Alliance program and discuss the resources and protections available to your church!

Come for a discussion of the impact the body of Christ can have on our state and the legal foundation we have to do so!

The day will start at 9:00am in the Capitol Rotunda with refreshments and a brief orientation on the workings of the capitol. Everyone will then be released to find their legislators, explore the capitol building, take tours, and learn more about their state government. We will end our time at the capitol with a picture on the steps and the singing of several patriotic songs.

Lunch will be held at Community Bible Church where the FHA team will give a further briefing on what is happening at the capitol, then Paul Weber and Tonya Shellnutt will be our keynote speakers! Mr. Weber, President and CEO of the Family Policy Alliance, will examine the need for the body of Christ to have a greater impact on culture, and the opportunity we have to do so. Mrs. Shellnutt, Regional Alliance Director with Alliance Defending Freedom, will explain the Church Alliance program and discuss the resources and protections available to your church!

The Sioux Falls Bus will load at 5:15am at the Walmart North parking lot (southeast corner) located at 5200 West 60th Street N. The bus will depart at 5:30.Parking will be available for passenger’s cars at the same location.

Come for a discussion of the impact the body of Christ can have on our state and the legal foundation we have to do so!

The day will start at 9:00am in the Capitol Rotunda with refreshments and a brief orientation on the workings of the capitol. Everyone will then be released to find their legislators, explore the capitol building, take tours, and learn more about their state government. We will end our time at the capitol with a picture on the steps and the singing of several patriotic songs.

Lunch will be held at Community Bible Church where the FHA team will give a further briefing on what is happening at the capitol, then Paul Weber and Tonya Shellnutt will be our keynote speakers! Mr. Weber, President and CEO of the Family Policy Alliance, will examine the need for the body of Christ to have a greater impact on culture, and the opportunity we have to do so. Mrs. Shellnutt, Regional Alliance Director with Alliance Defending Freedom, will explain the Church Alliance program and discuss the resources and protections available to your church!

The Rapid City Bus will meet at the Flying J Truck Stop at 5:00am (Mountain Time) and will leave promptly at 5:15am. After the Event is over, The bus will leave Pierre at 2:30pm (Central Time)

Come for a discussion of the impact the body of Christ can have on our state and the legal foundation we have to do so!

The day will start at 9:00am in the Capitol Rotunda with refreshments and a brief orientation on the workings of the capitol. Everyone will then be released to find their legislators, explore the capitol building, take tours, and learn more about their state government. We will end our time at the capitol with a picture on the steps and the singing of several patriotic songs.

Lunch will be held at Community Bible Church where the FHA team will give a further briefing on what is happening at the capitol, then Paul Weber and Tonya Shellnutt will be our keynote speakers! Mr. Weber, President and CEO of the Family Policy Alliance, will examine the need for the body of Christ to have a greater impact on culture, and the opportunity we have to do so. Mrs. Shellnutt, Regional Alliance Director with Alliance Defending Freedom, will explain the Church Alliance program and discuss the resources and protections available to your church!